June 07, 2006

Editor, Durango Herald:

Mr. Buchanan (Herald, page 2-C, 06-04-06) says this: "Mansfield seems to believe that ethanol is only made from corn."

Here is what I wrote: "Corn is one of many crops that can be converted into ethanol."

My article was about the ethanol from corn scam: About the false hope that the ethanol cabal has raised, about the misinformation that was and is used to install and perpetuate this scam in our energy future and about the egregious tax breaks and subsidies in the program.

Mr B offers support: " . . . when federal tax credits are included, the oil displaced costs the taxpayers $120 per barrel." Then Mr B adds: " Not a very effective way to reduce our oil dependency."

Mr B also writes about the biotech approach for converting biomass into liquid fuel: "cellulosic biomass [may] displace 1 million to 2 million barrels of oil per day in the next couple of decades." He goes on: "[that is] not a long-term solution to our oil problem." I say, neither are coal and natural gas long-term solutions since they are non-renewable resources.

In 1981, I appeared before a Congressional subcommittee on energy and presented my Energy Mix Matrix Analysis. Had information gathered by that committee been adopted and followed from then to now, the United States would not be importing even one barrel of oil and there would be no energy crisis (or war in Iraq?). Instead, President Reagan sacked President Carter's alternate energy plans and programs and an effective energy plan was never put in place! So, we find ourselves in an energy crisis.

Those interested can read my energy, growth and other non-fiction and fiction pieces at: http://www.halmansfield.com/SolarEnergy/Etc.aspx

I think Mr B's article supports what I wrote in many key ways.

Phone: 970.667.3878

hal.mansfield3@gmail.com

http://halmansfield.com